Dargan Forum 2024 - Harnessing Technology, Empowering Communities
From left Chad Gilmer (Chair of the Dargan Institute clg), Emma Gilleece (Architectural Historian & Communications Expert) and Eoin Costello (Director of the Dargan Forum) outside DLR County Hall, Dún Laoghaire.
Can technology be a force for good? That's the question being asked by thought leaders and innovators at this year's Dargan Forum, taking place in historic Dún Laoghaire this July, as they explore how technology can empower communities and drive Ireland's digital, green future. Keynote speakers include Bobby Healy (MANNA), Minister Dara Calleary, and Emma Jones (Enterprise Nation).
Dublin, Ireland - On 4th July, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers will converge at the Dargan Forum 2024 to explore the intersection of technology, empowerment and community building. Set in venues across picturesque Dún Laoghaire, an historic hotbed for innovation, the Dargan Forum 2024 intends to ignite conversations and inspire innovation, laying a path to digital, green future for Ireland’s communities.
Opening this year’s conference with expert insight into how technology can serve people and places is Bobby Healy, CEO of MANNA Drone Delivery, who will share his company’s inspiring vision for a net zero future for deliveries. Keynote speakers include Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Digital Transformation; Allan Mulrooney, CEO of the Western Development Commission; David Curtin, CEO of .ie; and Emma Jones, founder and CEO of Enterprise Nation which recently announced a strategic partnership with the Dargan Forum.
Upon announcing this collaboration, Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation said:
"Digital adoption is not just about new jobs, a tech-enabled, thriving local small business community creates better jobs, better businesses and more innovation -- all of which contribute to a healthy local economy. That's why we're delighted to be partnering with Dargan Institute's forward-thinking plans to ensure Irish firms can get ahead in the global digital transformation race."
David Curtin, CEO of key Dargan Forum 2024 sponsor .ie, shared:
".ie has been a long-term champion of the transformative power of digital technology in our towns and communities. The Dargan Forum serves as a crucial platform for driving meaningful change by leveraging our collective experience to bridge the digital divide and elevate digital skills. Partnering with the Dargan Forum is vital because it prioritises people and places, ensuring that progress benefits everyone. Together, we are committed to uncovering the innovative ways in which digitalisation enriches lives, strengthens communities, and boosts enterprises.”
Eoin Costello, national director of the Dargan Institute and adviser on the government's Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum (EDAF), said:
“In the 21st century powerful virtual technologies such as cloud computing, AI and quantum computing will shape our lives in ways that we can only imagine. The objective of the Dargan Forum is ensuring that these powerful technologies are put to the service of people and places, leaving no one behind.”
Other key event partners include Irish Rail, Connected Hubs, Søstrene Grene and Fáilte Ireland. Bank of Ireland is also a long-term supporter of the work of the Dargan Institute through the Dargan Hub, Dún Laoghaire.
To secure your place at this exciting and innovative free event, connect with like-minded individuals, and contribute to the dialogue that will shape the future of Irish communities, visit the Dargan Forum website:
https://www.darganinstitute.ie/dargan-forum
For media enquiries or additional information, contact Barbara Neeson - barbaraneeson@bannerton.ie
About Dargan Forum:
Entering its second year, the Dargan Forum embodies the fusion of heritage and innovation, convening each July in historic Dún Laoghaire to explore the empowering role of technology in the green and digital transition taking place across Ireland. The Dargan Forum is named for and inspired by William Dargan, pioneer of railway technology and arguably Ireland’s most important engineer of the 19th century. The Forum channels William Dargan’s pioneering spirit by working to harness technology for human good and using it to connect people, places and ideas in new ways, just as Dargan himself did.
